Violin practice finger board



Patented Mar. it, last 4 1,751,048

WILLIAM OTTO MIESSNEB, 01" MILWAUKEE, WISCGNSIN VIOLIN PBACTECE FINGER BOARD Application filed ()ctoher 25, 1928. Serial No. 31%,905.

This invention relates to improvements in F ig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on violin practice finger-board. line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

It is the primary object of the present in- Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on 'vention to provide a practice finger-board for line 4% of Fig. 2. 5 use by persons learning to play the violin, Referring now more particularly to the arranged so as to materially aid the pupil in drawing it will appear that the practice finquickly and accurately finding the proper ger-board is in the form of an elongated finger iti board or strip 6 of any suitable material and A further object of the inventlon is to proslightly narrower at one end than at the other. 10 vide a practice finger-board divided to corre- One surface of the board 18 formed or lined spohd ith th finger positigns f a Vi lin into longitudinal and transverse rows of recfinger-board with the divisions being protangles, shown in Fig. 1, said rectangles bevided with recesses to aid the user in the lng elongated toward the narrower end of proper placing and positioning of his fingers. the board and becoming more square toward A f th bj t f th i e ti i t prothe wider end of the board. In each lengivide aviolin practice finger-board which is tudinal row there are sixteen rectangles, while divided in accordance with the finger posi- 111 each transverse row there are four r c tions of a violin finger-board with the divitangles. The longitudinal rows of rectangles sions colored either white or black, the diviare designated respectively, reading from sions colored white representing natural left to right in Fig. 1, G, D, A, and tones, while the black divisions represent E to correspond with the G, D, A, sharped and fiatted tones, corresponding with and E strings of a violin. Some of the recthe white and black keys of a piano. tangles are colored black, as indicated by the A further object of the invention is to pro numeral 7, while the other rectangles 8 are vide a practice finger-board of the class dewhite. The black rectangles correspond with scribed having two usable sides or surfaces, the black keys of a piano and represent one side being arranged or divided to give all Sharped and fiatted tones, while the white recof the finger positions used in playing a viotangles also correspond with the white keys lin, while the other side of the finger-board of aplano and represent natural tones.

forms used in playing a violin. l are designated respectively A, B, C,

A further object of the invention is to pro- D, E, F, G, A and B and individe a finger-board of the class described cate the finger positions for the correspondwhich is very simple and inexpensive to 9g tOIlGS 1 h fir t Or G strin g of a viomanufacture, is helpful and of great advan- 1111- The black rectangles 111 said row, of tags to a pupil and is n adapted f the cou rse, represent the sharped or fiatted tones purposes described. pf the tones represented by the white rec- With the above and other objects in view angles h d p L theinvention consists of the improved pracl h t f t ig f i ggf'figlt flttice finger-board, and its parts and combinaa figii fig fi t i 1 tions, as set forth in the claims, and all equivai i i a lents thereoi tang es intricate coiiesponcing sharped and fiatted tones.

In the accompanying drawing n when In the row the White Retail 0,168 b (381 the same reference characters indicate the the designations a 3 7 e same parts 1n all of the views: A and b k n i U and F g- 1 1S a PlaIlVleW Of One Side 91 tangles indicate positions for corresponding 'Pr0ved practlce fing r-Wa respective sharped and fiat-ted tones.

Flg. 2 1s a plan view of the opposite sine In the last, or E row the respe tive d e 7 V nations of the white rectangles are F, G,

is arranged and divided to give the four finger The white rectangles in the G row in Fig. 80

on the violin A string.

A77, B77) C37, D, E, F77 and. GT7. ger positions for corresponding sharped or fiatted tones are indicated by the black rectangles.

In order to assist the pupil in locating the correct finger position in each rectangle,each rectangle is provided with a circular recess 9. In practice, said recesses may be readily felt by the fingers.

The reverse side of the practice fingerboard is shown in Fig. 2 and is divided into four finger forms. The first finger form marked 1 should be mastered first and comprises seven squares or rec-tangleslO extending in a longitudinal row from the upper end of the board to a medial portion thereof. In this row, the second, fourth, sixth and seventh squares are marked respectively Do-So, Re-La, Mi-Ti and Fa-Do and on the D string of a violin the fingers so placed produce the first list of tones, and the second noted tones are similarly produced The squares or rectangles specifically mentioned are formed with recessesll so that the fingers may locate the same.

Adjacent the finger form row I there is a finger form II of an equal number of similarly arranged squares or rectangles 12 of which the second, fourth, fifth and seventh squares are marked respectively Re-La,

Mi-Ti, La-Do and So-Re and are' formed with locating recesses 11. The finger positions indicated on form 11 will on the G, D and A strings of a violin produce the following tones: re, mi, fa and so, while on the violin D, A and E strings the tones produced by these positions will in order be la, ti, do, and re.

The finger form designated HI extends from the bottom of the board toward the medial portion thereof and comprises seven squares or rectangles 13 of which, reading from the end inwardly, thesecond, third, fifth and seventh are marked respectively Mi-Ti, Fa-Do, So-Re and La-Mi and said squares are provided with finger locating recesses 11. tween the first and second finger positions.

A finger form designated IV is located adjacent the finger form last referred to and is formed of seven squares or rectangles 14 extending inwardly of which the first, third, fifth and seventh are marked respectively Fa, So, La andTi and have finger locating recesses 11. This arrangement will occur only once in any key and there are no half steps but the fingers will be positioned a whole step apart.

The improved practice finger-board enables the pupil to familiarize himself with the correct finger positions on a violin. The pupil should first master thefinger positions on form I and then subsequently learn in order the positions in form 11, III and IV,

In this form the half step lies beafter which the entire finger-board, on the side shown in Fig. 1, may be used. Obviously practice on the finger-board will acquaint the pupil with correct finger positions and when he takes up an actual violin he will be able to readily position his fingers on the strings thereof so as to produce desired tones.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved violin practice fingerboard is of very simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a board having delineated thereon in adjacent longitudinal rows a plurality of divisions, said di visions indicating the finger positions for'successive tones or half tones on a string of a stringed instrument, each division being provided with a finger locating recess.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a board having delineated thereon in adjacent longitudinal rows a plurality of divisions, said divisions indicating the finger positions for successive natural tones or intermediate half tones on a string of a stringed instrument, the divisions representing notes of the diatonic major scale being marked to distinguish the same from the divisions representing other notes of the chromatic scale, and the first-mentioned divisions having musical note indicia thereon.

3. As anew article of manufacture, a board having delineated thereon a plurality of stringed instrument finger forms, each form being marked, to designate finger positions for a single string of a musical instrument and the finger positions of each form differing from that of the other forms.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a board having delineated thereon a plurality of stringed instrument finger forms, eachform being marked and formed with recesses to designate finger positions for a single string of a musical instrument and the finger posi-' tions of each form difiering from thatof the other forms. 7 I

5. As a new article of manufacture, a board having delineated on one surface thereof four sets of stringed instrument-finger forms, each finger form being arranged ina longitudinal row and a pair of said forms extending from one end of the board toward a medial portion thereof and the other pair of said forms extending from the other end of the board toward a medial portion thereof, each form being marked and provided with recesses to designate finger positions and the finger posit-ions of each form differing from that ofthe other forms. 7

6. As a new article of manufacture, a board having delineated on one surface thereof four longitudinal rows of divisions, said longitudinal rows corresponding to the string arrangement on the finger board'of a stringed instrument, the divisions of each row indicating the finger positions for successive natural tones or intermediate tones on a string represented thereby, the divisions representing notes of the diatonic major scale being marked to distinguish the same from the divisions marked to represent other notes of the chromatic scale, and the first-mentioned divisions having musical note indicia thereon, each division being provided with a finger locating recess, said board having delineated on the other surface thereof four sets of stringed instrument finger forms, each er form being arranged in a longitudinal row and a pair of said forms extending from one end of the board toward a medial portion thereof and the other pair of said forms extending from the other end of the board toward a medial portion thereof, each form being marked and provided With recesses to designate finger positions and the finger positions of each form diifering from that of the other forms.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

WILLIAM OTTO MIESSNER. 

